AR:
In ten years, do you think that there will be an increase, a decrease or the same overall amount of public funding means for the arts in Italy?

SI:
Decrease.

AR:
Which effects and consequences can you imagine regarding this situation?

SI:
Many people will stop pretending to be Artists, and get a regular job before they turn 30.

Note on Italy: people tend to depend on their parents up until … let’s say 30 years old. They tend to finish university at around 30, and only a small percentage of them can handle their lives themselves. Everyone
would like to be a musician, some other form of artist, a famous TV personality or, recently, a politician. In a few words: everyone wants to be elite, to avoid “real” jobs and, possibly, to be rich, famous and corruptable. A very “latin” way of life.
Politicians themselves don’t help in this situation. Italy used to have one of the more theoretically advanced welfare and labour system in the world: a really positive effect deriving from the influences that Russian communism have had in Italy in the past. But theory, in conjunction with political corruption and politicians’ ambition have created an enormous public debt, causing, in recent times, governmental manouvers that are making life in Italy practically impossible. Incredible taxing, high real estate costs, low wages, worse schools, bad health care. In 20th century society Italy’s young generations learned to rely on their families, as the nation’s money was not used to help them. In this perspective, families were a substitute for the state: you
need to buy a home or to start a commercial activity? Ask you family for money. Now families just cannot help, as many of them get indebted just to pay their rent. Society is breaking up: either you’re really rich or
you are practically poor. It’s starting to resemble South America.
Rising public debt (and the fake solutions to these problems, such as central banks emitting “unreal” money, only achieving higher inflation) will produce less investments on any area, including art.
Either business models are quickly found for new media or only painters loved by critics and collectors will survive.